Is really the Democrats worst nightmare at this point. The hail Mary pass on the CAP papers turned out to be a terrible bust. And the story of the day on the network news was partly Kennedy’s tantrum but the emotional high point was Mrs. Alito weeping, which the networks had to put in context and that only made the Democrats look worse.

Even though we’ve seen worse attacks on nominees before, I have great sympathy for Mrs. Alito. Imagine having to sit through days of these hearings not being allowed to speak or read or do anything but be a prop for your spouse, as one pol after another deliberately tries to make your husband look like an idiot, a racist and a snob. It is much harder to watch a loved one get attacked than it is to get attacked yourself. And to have to sit quietly and endure it would be amazingly stressful.